Radiator fell off wall onto my son

iamesbo

I don't think a 5 year old child should be able to pull a radiator off a wall even if he wanted too. It should have been secured to something more substantcial than plaster in my opinon. All too typical of the shoddy practices in the building industry.

GDB2222

I strongly suggest that you at least take photographs. Do you know any builders who could come in and have a look at it? You really need an 'expert' to say:
a) whether the wall was suitable, and
b) whether the thing was fixed properly.

A surveyor would be even better. Otherwise, you could well find the cost of this deducted from your deposit, and it could be quite an expensive repair.

BTW, if it's any help, my kids have climbed on radiators, and they've never fallen off the wall, and ideally a radiator should be really well fixed. However, that is best practice, and a judge might take the view that a radiator is designed to heat not to be used as a climbing apparatus. You need an expert to view it before it is reinstated.

paintpot

Hi Tanmu

I realise you must be cross by some of the responses. I am glad your landlord has now been round and checked the other rads for you and made sure they are safe and has taken your issue seriously.That is a good sign. Hopefully you have found some of the posts on here helpful and well, the others lacking in helpful advice and pure accusations you just have to ignore unfortunately.

Your landlord has and is taking positive action so that is good news. I would make sure you document your conservation to the landlord in writing, so send a letter to follow up, e.g further to our meeting, you said this, we agreed this etc, I look forward to hearing from you in respect of the repair and then if for any reason there are any repercussions you have it in writing whether that be a failure to repair or a deduction from your deposit when you leave etc. Hopefully it won't come to that and all will be resolved amicably in the fullness of time.

All the best

Chris2685

Can't believe some of the response above. A radiator should not be able to be pulled off the wall by anyone using just their own brute force. Saying that you shouldn't do it is just ridiculous, of course people aren't just going to go around pulling at them to rip them off the wall, but the fittings should be strong enough that even if you did, they wouldn't just tear out!

mikey72

A radiator must be properly fixed, it's a health and safety issue. You fix them securely so it takes a tool to get them off, be it a crowbar or a scewdriver, but not by force of hand. Anything less the builder should sort it out. As a further point ask to jointly inspect the others with the LL, and agree on the state of them.
Was there a flood, or did the pipework hold out?

robpw2

i hope your sons okay ...

paintpot

Well yes I agree. Only some do not and believe that the OP's son is a tearaway with superhuman strength for a five year old. Fortunately, there has been some sensible comments for the OP with helpful advice. :T

I believe the OP said that the child was ok and not sustained any lasting injury which is the important point. :T

mikey72 wrote: »

A radiator must be properly fixed, it's a health and safety issue. You fix them securely so it takes a tool to get them off, be it a crowbar or a scewdriver, but not by force of hand. Anything less the builder should sort it out. As a further point ask to jointly inspect the others with the LL, and agree on the state of them.
Was there a flood, or did the pipework hold out?

mlz1413

tanmu wrote: »

I didn't 'let' or 'allow' my child to climb lean or balance on the radiator as some posters have outright accused. He is 5yrs old and doesn't have the judgement that an older child or adult has. Horace, I don't care whether you believe me or not. If you have nothing to say to help, then I don't know why you bothered posting. I thought this forum was here to help people, not accuse and judge.
BTW The radiator is not fixed to any wooden buttresses, it is fixed into plasterboard that is barely an inch thick. Not that I'm an expert, but it seems like a double radiator would need more support than that. The LL came to see the damage and he himself tugged vigorously on a similar radiator to demonstrate that they don't just fall off. Needless to say, the radiator didn't come off. He said he'll pay to get it put right, but that he is expecting to be reimbursed (though he didn't say who by). I suggested that he contact the builders and see if it comes under the guarantee, which he said he'll do. I am now waiting to hear from him and see what's happening.

I'd check with your LL excately who is going to pay, better to be clear now. If an argument ensues either you or your LL are going to end up giving notice.

ruggedtoast

So what happened, you never get any closure on these threads anymore.

I bet we never find out about Avicola either, and Victor Meldrew will be having his land dispute with the council up to the next ice age.

I never really got over the BBC cancelling El Dorado.

bunny71

tanmu wrote: »

Can anyone offer any advice.....this afternoon the double radiator in one of our downstairs reception rooms (which we currently use as a playroom) fell off the wall when my son put his plastic chair against it and leant on it to write on a picture on the wall above it. It banged his arm and fell on his legs trapping him. Fortunately he wasn't seriously hurt, but the landlord is insisting that the radiators were all fine and that they would only come off if pulled on with excessive force. My son is 5yrs old and barely weighs 3 stones. There is no way, in my opinion, that a 5yr old should be able to pull a radiator off a wall - the plaster has even come away in chunks. He is coming over tomorrow to have a look so I just want to know what anyone else thinks about it all

I know I'm 8 months late in adding to this topic, but just wanted to share my similar experience in support of the OP, since so many replies were incorrectly putting the blame on a child.

Yesterday, our hall radiator fell off the wall. It was noticed hanging at an angle, and as soon as it was (lightly)touched to check it, it fell off. Nine-year-old house with radiator fitted to plasterboard. There was no obvious cause.

A British Gas engineer fixed it this morning and told us that it was missing two screws and another two were the wrong kind (they have provided an annual service of the radiators for years and never noticed this!). We were told it was only a matter of time before it was going to fall off. On the upside, he said we were lucky it was fitted with plastic pipes, as we would have been flooded if it had been fixed with the old style copper pipes.

So, when British Gas engineers can miss a badly fitted radiator, how can a landlord possibly know for sure that the OP's radiator was fitted properly? It sounds like theirs was just as badly fitted as ours.

I hope you didn't have to pay anything OP.